Not a Witch at All
by prince of underbrush
Summary: ("Oz is a dream" theory). The movie honestly left alot of loose ends that were not addressed, such as how was Dorothy found if she wasn't carried to Oz by twister or what happened to Ms Gulch and her plan to get rid of Toto. This is one attempt to address these issues, where Dorothy comes to learn that there are better ways to dispell witches than with a bucket of water.


Dorothy had never seen Kansas with so much color. The drab, dirty tones she was so accustom to tolerating had fallen away. True the shades of green were still quite lacking, and the emeralds of a certain magical city had very little chance of appearing again. But there were other colors that seemed to pop out, like the gold of wheat that stretched as far as the eyes could see or the shades of metal as they went through various stages of rust. It was clear to her why these shades drew her eyes now, even though others would be preoccupied with the mess left in the twister's wake. Real or not she felt that Oz would always stay with her now, yet she was still trying to find a way to share it with the family.

For now she was content stroking Toto's fur with her aunt Em knitting at her side. The others had left a while ago to repair the damages… though now she thought about it; the door they left through was on the wrong wall. In fact, with her mind fully grounded again, she noticed other details that did not belong in her room such as the blankets feeling far softer, or the dresser being far more elegant than the shoddy furniture of her childhood. It was confirmed when the scene outside the window was not the view of the Gale farm. She was not in her room.

With anxiety in her voice Dorothy asked "Aunt Em, where are we"? Having expected this Em momentarily paused to look at her niece sporting a gentle gaze rarely worn by the world wearied woman. "I'm sorry dear; we must have gotten carried away by waking you up". The farm wife returned to her project, "right now we're inside of Elmira's home" she said without raising her gaze.

Dorothy was visibly shocked by this, enough to make Em look up from her knitting in concern. Miss Gulch, the woman whose features resemble the wickedest witch there ever was, the monster that tried to kill her dog Toto, was hosting her? She immediately looked back down at Toto only to find him perfectly healthy with not a scratch proving otherwise. "But why hasn't she hurt Toto? And why aren't we at the house?-" Dorothy began questioning as she combed through Toto's fur for any injuries she must have missed. Emily Gale silenced her niece with a calming shush and a gentle push to her shoulders. "Settle down Dorothy, you're still hurt. I'll explain everything". Dorothy slowly relaxed back into the pillows, keeping a confused gaze directed towards her Aunt's face.

With a sigh, Emily began, her explanation. "When we came out of the cellar the house was gone, and after inspecting the damage we found your suitcase just outside of the fence. It didn't take us long to realize that you came back and got caught up in the storm, and my heart nearly gave out at the thought of having lost you like that". Dorothy adopted a guilty look at that statement.

The woman continued. "Apparently Ms. Elmira Gulch was taking a tour of the county to check if her property was damaged, only to come across what was left of our house at the edge of the county. She saw Toto pawing at the rubble where your feet were sticking out. From what I hear she began clearing away whole beams with her bare hands just to get you free, almost as if God picked her out to be the second Samson"! Aunt Em exclaimed re-adopting a jovial complexion.

Dorothy was now in awe, especially after hearing the about ironic positioning of her body and the heroism of a woman she thought a wicked old witch. "One way or another," Emily continued, "she sent us one of her cronies- I mean, workers, to fetch all of us just as she was passing through her front door, and carried you to her old son's room to help nurse you until the doctor arrived. If it wasn't for that woman... I don't think I would have ever seen you again".

Dorothy remained stunned for a good 3 minutes until she slowly reached a hand to her bandaged head. Within moments the young lady began to cry, and she cried hard. Emily Gale was startled by this new development and began fussing over her precious niece like a mother to her babe.

"I-I'm s-s-such a wretched ch-child!" Dorothy began stuttering out through her sobs. "I-I thought so badly of her, and I always terrorized her knowing that Toto would chase her cat! I'm no better than those wicked witches in Oz! I-I'm probably even worse"!

Eventually, her aunt calmed her down to a whimper, cradling the child she saw as her daughter with a grace she has only reserved towards her. "It's okay honey, we all acted like fools that day. None of us were beyond a good slap of common sense" she cooed.

While this was happening Elmira Gulch began to walk through the door carrying a fresh cup of tea. She paused at the emotional scene in front of her. Her often stoic expression twitched for a moment, possibly from the jealousy that snuck around her heart every so often. Rather than interrupt "Dorothy's daily cry" as she has named it over the years the widow contended herself to shifting awkwardly at the door. This didn't last for very long, for Dorothy caught a glimpse of her and began composing herself. Emily followed suit, knowing that her seat will have to be given over soon enough.

"Ms. Gulch…" Emily greeted cordially. "Ms. Gale…" the hostess returned just as cordially. "I think Dorothy has something important to say" the mistress of the Gale farm stated as she rose from her seat. As she began to pass by Ms. Gulch, she paused to grab her free hand and whisper "Thank you, Mira, from the bottom of my heart, thank you". The married woman slid her hand out and exited the room, leaving the widow with her stony countenance. It had been years since Emily spared any gratitude towards her, let alone call her by that nickname.

Remembering why she was here, Elmira walked briskly towards Dorothy's bedside placing the cup into the girl's hands without another word. Feeling as if she were being scrutinized by her teacher Dorothy quickly downed the brew. After emptying its contents she lifted the china which was collected by the Gulch woman and deposited on the lamp-stand. "What do you want girl, speak up" Ms. Gulch asked in the disciplinarian tone she always used towards her.

Toto, who was attempting to burrow into Dorothy's arms up to this point, did not take so kindly to his archenemy's tone and began to bark. Before Gulch could say or do anything in response Dorothy began scolding him and tried to stand with intention of depositing Toto outside. Honestly Elmira was slightly touched by the girl's actions, for she had never seen Dorothy scold the menace for her (or her cat's) sake before. Knowing that Dorothy's efforts would only injure her further, the woman interceded by gently taking Toto from her grasp and lowered him to the ground, where he scurried off to find something better to do.

Dorothy looked at the woman as she straightened herself, trying to compare her to the hunched and crooked hag of her nightmares. There was nothing that could tie the two together aside from their faces. Where the witch was always cackling or growling Ms. Gulch was composed. Where the witch used the language of a predator Ms. Gulch spoke indifferently (sometimes even politely). If her adventure and all the people she met along the way were indeed a reflection of the people here, the transition between Ms. Gulch and the wicked witch will confound her till the end of her days, at least, now that she cared to understand the widow. Dorothy's musing left her staring intently at the aged woman, who was gradually becoming uncomfortable because of Dorothy's nonsense again.

"Well?" Elmira inquired, snapping the farm girl out of her thoughts. "Oh! Yes Miss Gulch I had something important to say". Dorothy began to sag, adopting a remorseful look. "I wanted to tell you I'm… sorry... for acting poorly towards you and your cat and I want to say… thank you for not hurting Toto like you said you would". Not really fazed by the apology Elmira Gulch responded quickly. "Apology accepted Miss Gale, now if you'll excuse me I have business to attend to". This did little to alleviate Dorothy's guilt, so once more her mouth ran ahead of her mind. "I know this is a strange request, but I'd like to be your friend!" Dorothy shouted out having fallen back on the solution that inevitably got her through Oz.

Elmira was stunned at the doorway... dumbfounded really. To be asked for something as random and childish as friendship was ridiculous to the old woman. She gave up the idea of superfluous relations years ago, whether it was because of her increasingly thankless business or general lack of social grace. Yet by acting on a natural human response she had turned the heart of the child she had already lost patience with days ago. Of all the mercies in her miserable life this was by far the silliest. Yet all the same, after a seemingly unending silence, Elmira Gulch began to chortle. It wasn't a demeaning laugh, nor was it a subtle giggle, but a genuine and uncontrolled chortle. Dorothy was initially put off by this but when Miss Gulch finally turned to reveal her smile Dorothy couldn't but feel elated as well.

When the undignified fit subsided Elmira fully faced the farm girl. "Very well, I look forward to our congenial relation from now on" Ms. Gulch replied with a smirk and a handshake which Dorothy gladly returned. Elmira continued "As long as you keep your dog in check you're free to visit me Wednesdays after school". Dorothy agreed and the widow absconded from the room; else she would put herself at risk of further distractions.

Moments later Dorothy Gale watched as an amused Elmira Gulch ride away realizing her three Ozian friends shared their gifts with her. Thanks to a caring heart, a patient brain, and simple courage she won't ever worry about seeing wicked witches again, for they are only someone in need of a friend.

 _The End_

A/N: thank you Rebbeca-In-Blue for your review. I hope it comes off a little cleaner now. May you all take away a positive message from the stories that inspire you most.


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